


All the King's Horses

by Charlie_is_Not_Cat



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Crossdressing, Drama & Romance, F/M, Freeform, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Tagging, Like slow as slow can be, Maybe - Freeform, No clue how to write any of these characters, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, but i'm trying anyway, i need to stop, yay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-05-08 04:09:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14686164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlie_is_Not_Cat/pseuds/Charlie_is_Not_Cat
Summary: A Voltron fic if Voltron was in fictional medieval times.After losing her father and brother to a sudden battle, and then her mother, Katie embarks on a journey to join the Garrison in order to reveal the secrets being kept from the people.That is if she can even make it there.





	1. Honest to God

**Author's Note:**

> Song: Honest to God by AWAY
> 
> I promised myself I would wait until all my other stuff had five chapters before I added a new work. Crab apples.
> 
> Welp! Hope you like this. Chapter two's in progress.
> 
> I'm going to bed.

The sun kissed the tops of the trees in the distance as a pair of amber eyes seemed to track it’s setting. A young woman leaned against the side of a worn barn, her long fingers toying with the fraying edges of her dress sleeves.

Hearing footsteps approach from behind, she didn’t move, intent on keeping her begrudged silence.

“Come on, Katie. You can’t be mad at Dad and I forever.” Silence. Her brother sighed, leaning on the barn as well, facing the other way.

“It’s only for a month, and you know we need the money. And the Garrison will be giving us protection while we wor-”

“You’ll be in enemy territory, Matt. Don’t you realize how stupid these orders are?” Matt flinched at his sister’s flat tone. She was more bitter about the subject than either he or their father had realized.

“True, the conditions are questionable. But, if we can utilize our findings on this mission, then who’s to say that trade can’t be opened with the Galrans one day?”

“Matt, they’re monsters. They don’t care about trade. Only war and murder.” Matt glanced over at Katie. Her shoulders were shaking slightly.

“Why can’t you and Dad just accept that peace with Galra isn’t going to happen?” Her voice cracked halfway through her sentence, and Matt wrapped his arms around her shoulders in an embrace.

“We’re gonna be okay, Pidgeon. Even if the mission is a failure, I promise that Dad and I will come home, safe and sound, before your birthday.” He smiled into her hair.

“I’ll even bring you back a present. Anything you’d like?”

There was a long moment of silence, broken only by Katie’s sniffs.

“...An Altean pin?” Matt gave a sly grin.

“A pin, huh? When did you become so girly?” Katie swung around to punch him, her cheeks flushed.

“Shut up!”

 

……………………………………………………………………

 

“Gone?! What do you mean GONE?!” Katie yelled at the soldier, angry tears running down her cheeks. Her mother was on the floor behind her, her hands covering her mouth in an attempt to control her despair as tears also flowed. The soldier in the doorway repeated the message again, the words damning.

“Samuel and Matthew Holt were killed in a battle on the border between the Galra Empire and the Altean Provinces. They are gone.” His stiff, cold demeanor never shifted throughout the exchange, even when he tipped his hat, his “I’m sorry for your loss.” was like a cold blade through Katie’s heart. 

He didn’t even care about the two worlds he’d just shattered with those words.

 

……………………………………………………………………….

 

“Mom, you really should eat.”

“........Not yet. Your father and brother haven’t come home yet. It wouldn’t be right to start without them.”

Katie flinched at her mother’s words.

“Mom, they’re on a long trip, remember? They won’t be back for a few more days.”

Her mother’s blank, lifeless eyes stared through her, reminding her of a doll.

“Oh, that’s right. How silly of me.” Katie’s mother regarded her food a moment.

“I’m sorry, my appetite has been strange. I’m not hungry at the moment, Sweetie.”

Katie took her mother’s plate away, biting back frustrated tears as she took in her mother’s pale, thin form.

“It’s alright, Mom. But I insist you eat later.”

She wouldn’t. But Katie would try. 

 

…………………………………………………………………………

 

Again. 

 

…………………………………………………………………………

 

And again. 

 

…………………………………………………………………………..

 

And again…

 

………………………………………………………………………….

  
  


Katie trudged up the uneven cobblestone that led up to her house, weary from her work. 

“Mom, I’m home.” She called as she entered the door, dropping her satchel and removing her threadbare cloak.

She narrowed her eyes when there came no answer. 

“Mom?”

Katie made her way over the creaking floorboards to her mother’s bedroom.

‘Is she asleep? She usually answers me.’ Katie opened the door and peered inside.

There, she saw the bed, blankets rumpled and pillow on the floor. The dresser was on its side, it’s contents skewed across the floor.

Her mother was nowhere to be seen.

  
  
  


The man was gathering his remaining wares to take back with him, as he intended to close up shop. The setting sun cast the world in fire and harsh shadows, shadows he wished to avoid at all cost. 

As he packed the last of his things away, he became aware of hurried footfalls coming his way. Readying himself for an encounter, the man turned to see a familiar young woman running towards him in a panic.

“Miss Holt, what seems to be the matter?” The young woman stumbled as she came to a stop, tears staining her cheeks.

“My mother! Have you seen my mother?!” Her tone was loud, and on the verge of panic. When the man shook his head, he saw something in her eyes. She was on the verge of breaking.

Laying a calm, sturdy hand on her shoulder, he gave her a reassuring smile.

“It’s late. If she hasn’t returned by tomorrow, I’ll help round up a search party.”

Katie’s shoulders sagged as she nodded, eyes burning with fresh tears.

 

Her mother didn’t return that evening. She was found by someone in the neighboring village in the river downstream. Her funeral was held a few days later.


	2. Numb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally. Sorry, it's so dialogue-heavy, but I finally got something out.  
> Next chapter should be more exciting. 
> 
> Now I go sleep.
> 
> \------------------------------------------------------------------

Life goes on. It hurts, but it was true. Even as the world once again began crumbling around Katie, she knew she had to go on. 

And, as fate would have it, her life was about to take an unexpected turn.

…………………………………………………………….

The Galra-Galasian Border, Three Years Later

 

The countryside was empty, in more ways than one. Dawn was just breaking, the sun casting light, but not yet chasing away the bitter cold of the first winter night. No farmer wanted to leave the warmth of their beds for fields that would yield nothing for several months at most.

No soul saw the three riders barrel their way across the border, the lackluster patrolmen still buried under their own bedsheets.

Like ghosts, they came and they disappeared, silence replacing the sound of their passage quickly.

…………………………………………………………….

Dawn gave way to midmorning, revealing a young man readying his horse and wagon for a trip to the market. 

“Pidge,” a voice called, causing him to pause in his movements. A much older man stands at the wooden gate, concern lining his face. “You should wait until some of the others are ready to go with you. It’s dangerous for everybody to be out there alone right now.”

Pidge curls his lip, looking away from the man. 

“I really don’t care, Shiro. This village needs stuff from the marketplace. The sooner I can get everything we need, the better everyone will fare this winter.” He pulls the strap to secure the wagon a little harsher than intended, causing his horse to nicker at him. Shiro sighed.

“Still, wouldn’t it be better for more than one person to travel together? What if you run into trouble out there?”

“What, are you offering to come with?” Pidge asks, rhetorically, as he starts loading the wagon with the year’s worth of crafts the village women and children had contributed for trade. As he reaches for another crate, he nearly bumps into Shiro who’s loaded his arms with the precious goods.

“Listen, Pidge. You took me in when I needed help. Let me return the favor. You’re a valuable asset to this village, and it would be a big loss if anything happened to you out on the road.”

Pidge scowls, taking the crate from Shiro.

“And what if we’re stopped by the Garrison? They’ll take one look at you and try coercing you to join them on the spot.”

“They tried once before. Didn’t work then.” Shiro said with a smirk.

“And you ended up nearly dying for it. You lost your arm.” And the smirk was gone. 

“I’m not letting you go alone Pidge.” He lays a firm hand on the younger man’s shoulder. 

“If losing an arm is for refusing to join their ranks, what’s the punishment for a girl dressed as a man?” 

“If they’re fooled, then that’s on them.” Before Shiro can argue more, Pidge sighs, heavily.

“If you’re gonna argue till you turn blue about this, you might as well come with. I’m not gonna waste any more precious daylight on the matter.”

They continue loading up the wagon, silent. It’s only until they start to head out that Shiro asks, “Can your horse pull all this?”

Pidge sighs, nodding. “There’s a mechanism on the wagon that pushes forward as the horse is in motion.” She gestures to a knob to her left on the bench. “I pull this before I tell the horse to move, so the wagon is already in the beginnings of movement. Once the horse has started actually pulling, the back wheels are already in full motion, alleviating most of the stress of the weight the horse endures as it pulls.”

Shiro blinks, awed by the ingenuity of the girl on the wagon.

“It’s still a work in progress, however. The activating wire tends to bend or come undone from its placement under the wagon, meaning we’ll have to stop quite a bit on our journey.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“I told you this would happen,” Pidge said, coolly, from her place under the wagon. Shiro was knelt on the ground, given the job of handing various tools to the disguised woman.

“You did,” he replied. “I just didn’t realize you meant almost every hour.”

Pidge grunted as something broke, spilling black oil across her face. Sighing, she worked wax over the break for a temporary fix before sitting up.

“It’s still a work in progress. I also told you this earlier. It’s like gaining sword skills. You practice and practice until you get the hang of it. What I’ve got here is what you would call practice session five. Better, but still a novice.”

Pidge stands up in a stretch. “How about we have lunch, then I’ll finish fixing up this puppy and we can continue. If we’re lucky, we can make the next town just after nightfall.”  
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The townspeople were setting fires in pits along the street in an attempt to kept warm while vendors and buyers alike went about their business. Murmurs filled the air, mostly concerning how quickly winter was setting in. Very few were about the that seemed to be just as quickly creeping over the horizon. 

If anyone noticed the man in the blue cloak, they didn’t take note. He walked like everyone else, in a quick, shivering gait, presumably anxious to get out of the cold. As he turned a corner, his gait became a run as he spotted two others, donning similar cloaks to his own, on horseback. 

As he drew close, the one in red called out in a low tone. “Anything?”

He sighed. “No one’s seen or heard of a man with a scar on his face here. And the stone was silent for everyone I approached.” The shoulders of both men sagged at the news. 

“But I have a lead on where to go next,” the man in blue continued. “There’s a large trade market near the border. Folks from villages near and far go there for necessities that they may not have been able to get from their own land during the year. And, with the onset of winter this year, more people will be at the market.”

The one in red seemed hesitant when the one in yellow reached out to touch him on the shoulder.

“It’s a better chance, Keith. And who knows? Maybe we’ll kill two birds.” 

Keith gave another sigh, rubbing at the dark circles beneath his eyes. 

“I hope you both are right in your optimism. The Princess needs us to return as soon as we find Shiro and the Green Paladin.”

The man in blue nodded in understanding.

“If I’ll be honest with you both, it’d be better if we were to be on Altean soil sooner, rather than later. I fear the farther we venture, the more these appear.”

As he speaks, he draws a pile of papers from his cloak. Keith only glances before groaning in frustration.

“Couldn’t you have led with that first, Lance?” He huffed, wheeling his horse around and taking off at a trot. With a yelp of surprise, the man in yellow follows quickly.

“What, and get sick trying to talk to your backside?” Lance mutters under his breath, jumping up onto his horse. As he takes off, the sheaf of papers is released onto the wind, showing depictions of the three underneath the same large number.


End file.
